Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Christidis, L. and Boles, W.E. 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds. CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
Turbott, E.G. 1990. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand. Ornithological Society of New Zealand, Wellington.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | - |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Near Threatened | A2bcd+4bcd |
| 2016 | Least Concern | |
| 2012 | Least Concern | |
| 2009 | Least Concern | |
| 2008 | Least Concern | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 30,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 100,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 3000000-7000000 mature individuals | medium | estimated | 2023 |
| Population trend | decreasing | - | estimated | 2007-2027 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 20-29% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 20-29% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 6.63 years | - | - | - |
| Number of subpopulations | 10 | - | - | - |
Population justification: Breeding populations in North America are thought to total 1.56-3.21 million birds (Bart et al. in prep.). Old World populations sum to approximately 4.4 million birds (Delany et al. 2009, Nagy and Langendoen 2020, Hansen et al. 2022, Wetlands International 2023), but these data are largely collated from the species' non-breeding range and so may not all refer to mature individuals. Globally, the population is therefore estimated to number 3,000,000-7,000,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The overall population trend is decreasing moderately rapidly, although some populations are stable or have unknown trends. Calidris alpina is declining most rapidly in the Americas, and on the east coast, Smith et al. (2023) used migration count data to estimate a population reduction equivalent to 53.2% over three generations, although with wide confidence intervals of 18.5-73.8%. These data are also used in the Avian Conservation Assessment Database December 2023 update (Partners in Flight 2023). On the American Pacific coasts, rapid declines of 60.8% over three generations have been reported (Migratory Shorebirds Project, unpublished data), while across North America, an analysis of eBird data collected in North America between 2011 and 2021 (Fink et al. 2023) suggested congruent declines of 48% (39-52%). These data are mirrored in the sparsely available breeding data. In northern Alaska, the population size estimate of arcticola Dunlin in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has declined from 2002/2004 (10,506, SE = 4,112) to 2019/2022 (1,115, SE = 488); more minor declines have also been observed in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area in north-central Alaska (2007/2008: 218 birds counted vs 2023: 198) over 53 repeat survey plots (S. Brown and R. Lanctot unpubl. data, from R. Lanctot in litt. 2024). Wintering numbers in California (pacifica) have also shown a steep decline in the past 30 years (Warnock et al. 2021) although it has been suggested that the wintering population is contracting northward (Fernandez et al. 2010).
Subspecies alpina has reportedly declined between 2000 and 2020 at a rate equivalent to c.11.5% over three generations (van Roomen et al. 2022) but in Finland breeding numbers in one study area (Kilpisjärvi; 40 km2) increased from 14 and 16 in 2005 and 2007 respectively, to 48 and 85 in 2022 and 2023 respectively, while annual standardised monitoring counts from the Hanko Bird Observatory also show short-term and long-term increases (A. Lehikoinen in litt. 2024). Subspecies arcticola (c.9% of global population) has reportedly declined very rapidly (although there is a paucity of recent data), with a population reduction between 2008 and 2014 equivalent to 97% (Weiser et al. 2020).
The trends of several other populations are less alarming. Populations of centralis and schinzii, for example, are probably stable (Nagy and Langendoen 2020, van Roomen et al. 2022), although in some European populations of schinzii declines have been reported (BirdLife International 2021); combined these two taxa represent approximately a quarter of the global population. The trends of all other populations are effectively unknown/unreported, but it is perhaps quite likely that the sizeable population in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway is declining, given the rapid declines in several other shorebirds sympatric on migration routes (where a significant number of threats are acting; IUCN 2023). Conversely, the nest density of sakhalina in the Chaun delta, Chukotka, Russia remained stable between 2011 and 2023. These uncertainties inevitably render a consolidation of data into a single global trend difficult, but weighting trends according to their population size yields a global rate of decline of at least 20% (a rate that optimistically assumes East Asian/Australasian populations are stable), thus the species is estimated to have declined by 20-29% over the past three generations. The drivers of these declines are ultimately unknown, with no direct mechanisms yet identified, for example, to be driving such rapid declines in the Americas.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Algeria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Antigua and Barbuda | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Australia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Austria | extant | native | yes | |||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bahamas | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bahrain | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bangladesh | extant | native | yes | |||
| Barbados | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Belarus | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belgium | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Belize | extant | native | yes | |||
| Benin | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bermuda (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Brunei | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Burundi | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Cambodia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Canada | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Cape Verde | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cayman Islands (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Costa Rica | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | native | yes | |||
| Croatia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cuba | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Czechia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Denmark | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Dominica | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Dominican Republic | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Ecuador | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Egypt | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Estonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Faroe Islands (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Finland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| French Guiana | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Germany | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Ghana | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Greenland (to Denmark) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guadeloupe (to France) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Guam (to USA) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guatemala | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Hong Kong (China) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Hungary | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iceland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| India | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ireland | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Israel | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Jamaica | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Japan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Laos | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Latvia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Liberia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Libya | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Liechtenstein | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lithuania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Luxembourg | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Maldives | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Mali | extant | native | yes | |||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Martinique (to France) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mexico | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Micronesia, Federated States of | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Moldova | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mongolia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Montenegro | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Montserrat (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Morocco | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Myanmar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Netherlands | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| New Zealand | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Nicaragua | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Korea | extant | native | yes | |||
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Northern Mariana Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Norway | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Palau | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Panama | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Paraguay | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Peru | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Philippines | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Poland | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Puerto Rico (to USA) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Qatar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Romania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Serbia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sierra Leone | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Slovakia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Slovenia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Somalia | extant | native | ||||
| South Korea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Spain | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sri Lanka | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Kitts and Nevis | extant | vagrant | ||||
| St Lucia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| St Pierre and Miquelon (to France) | extant | native | yes | |||
| St Vincent and the Grenadines | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Sweden | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Switzerland | extant | native | yes | |||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Taiwan, China | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Thailand | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Togo | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | |||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turks and Caicos Islands (to UK) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Uganda | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Ukraine | extant | native | yes | |||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| United States Minor Outlying Islands (to USA) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| USA | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Vatican City | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Venezuela | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Vietnam | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Virgin Islands (to UK) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Virgin Islands (to USA) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Western Sahara | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Salt Exploitation Sites | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Aquatic & Marine | Artificial/Aquatic - Wastewater Treatment Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Brackish/Saline Lagoons/Marine Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | Coastal Freshwater Lakes | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Mud Flats and Salt Flats | suitable | non-breeding |
| Marine Intertidal | Salt Marshes (Emergent Grasses) | suitable | breeding |
| Marine Neritic | Estuaries | suitable | non-breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Permanent Freshwater Marshes/Pools (under 8ha) | suitable | breeding |
| Wetlands (inland) | Tundra Wetlands (incl. pools and temporary waters from snowmelt) | suitable | breeding |
| Altitude | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Industrial aquaculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Marine & freshwater aquaculture - Subsistence/artisinal aquaculture | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Whole (>90%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Energy production & mining | Oil & gas drilling | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Spartina alterniflora | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Anser caerulescens | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Anser rossii | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Domestic & urban waste water - Type Unknown/Unrecorded | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Pollution | Industrial & military effluents - Oil spills | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
|||||||||
| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Food - human | subsistence, national |
| Sport hunting/specimen collecting | subsistence, national |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Dunlin Calidris alpina. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/dunlin-calidris-alpina on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.